Mayo: Parking in front of own home shouldn't bring tow -- or death

Michael MayoSun Sentinel

Two of my least favorite things of South Florida life – nitpicking condo/homeowner associations and overzealous towing companies – collided to produce a needless tragedy last week, the death of Elias Konwufine, 39, a Keiser University professor/administrator and father of three.

Let me repeat: The event that led to his death -- parking in front of his own home.

Because his car jutted into the sidewalk/swale area in front of his driveway, it was considered a towable offense under condo association rules. He parked where he did because the second legal spot in his driveway was occupied by a visitor, a tutor helping his autistic 7-year-old son.

When a tow truck showed up and hooked onto his white Mercedes-Benz, he protested. In interviews with TV stations, the purported tow truck operator said Konwufine climbed onto the side running board of the tow truck, banged on the driver’s window, then either fell or jumped off the side. Perhaps his reaction was overheated, but I certainly could understand. Who’d want to trudge down to a tow lot and pay over $100 for an “offense” so frivolous?

He wasn’t parking on a neighbor’s lawn or swale. He didn’t block a stranger’s car. He wasn’t glomming a free spot in some restaurant or strip mall parking lot.

He simply blocked the sidewalk in front of his house temporarily, which meant pedestrians or dog-walkers would have to go maybe 10 feet out of their way to get around the vehicle. And when the tutor left, he’d pull into his rightful spot.

But rules are rules, right?

Sorry, but this strikes me as ridiculous and needless.

Where was the common sense?

But forget common sense when there are dollars to be made. In this case, the tow company that services the Sienna Greens community has an incentive to tow cars because it means more revenue. Forget the fact that Konwufine’s offense was cosmetic, and that his car’s parking location harmed nobody.

Community residents say tow trucks routinely patrol the area to nab violators.

This sad episode is the latest affirmation of why I’ll never live in a place with a condo/homeowner’s association. In my neighborhood, cars park on swales and sometimes parked cars jut onto sidewalks. If someone is having a party, we do the neighborly thing and give a heads up that there might be some overflow cars parked. It shouldn’t be a big deal. It shouldn’t be a bother.